Conventional swing-type doors are mounted via hardware such as hinges to door jambs which attach to and define the opening in the wall at the location of the door. Doors and door jambs come in a variety of different materials and configurations depending on the desired functionality and aesthetics. A so-called “in-swing” door refers to a door which swings open into a space such as a room. If one were standing in a hallway of a hotel, for example, doors which swing open into the room (as opposed to swinging into the hallway) are referred to as “in-swing” doors. For many people, conventional door jambs for in-swing doors are visually displeasing in that they include multi-angled surfaces which are visible when the door is closed and thus fail to provide the complete “clean look” which is very desirable in present day architecture.
One known prior attempt to provide a door jamb which provides a flush finish with an in-swing door is seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this prior art doorjamb, the door jamb 10 is cut from a block of wood and is affixed to the wall 12 via nail 14. The door jamb in cross section is configured to match the contour of the leading edge of the door 16. In order to blend the wood door jamb with the wall surface 12a and also achieve the desired flush finish at door side 16a with wall side 12a, a smooth layer of plaster 18a is applied over the wall surface 12a and door jamb surface 10a. In order to enhance the bonding of the plaster layer 18a to the wall and jamb, the jamb 10 includes a notch 10b (or an angled surface 10c in an alternate embodiment) which forms an enlarged open area 20a between the wall and jamb in which the plaster 18a may be applied and act as a further securing point for the plaster to hold to the wall and jamb. It is thus evident that this prior art door jamb does not provide the desired lasting visual results in that the plaster is incompatible with wood and is susceptible to crazing and cracking as indicated by reference numeral 22 in FIG. 1.
Furthermore, and quite critically, the fact that the securing nail (or bolt) extends through the jamb in line with the direction of the wall (i.e., the nail extends generally parallel to the direction in which the wall extends) creates a weak attachment between the jamb 10 and wall stud. More particularly, the forces created during regular door opening and closing at the jamb impact the nail securement point (which is located at the jamb-door interface) which may cause the jamb to move relative to the wall stud and potentially cause intermittent and ultimately permanent separation of the jamb from the stud, the result of which creates unsightly jamb/wall gaps and cracking of the wall finish at this juncture. This prior art door jamb (as well as any other prior art jambs which are secured with fasteners located at the door/jamb interface) is therefore not an appropriate solution to the need for a door jamb which provides a long-lasting flush finish for an in-swing door.